Ethnikos Achna FC

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Ethnikos Achna
Image:Ethnikos achnas.jpg
Full name Ethnikos Achna
Founded 1968
Ground Dasaki Stadium, Achna

(Capacity 4,500)
Chairman Flag of Cyprus Kikis Philippou
Manager Flag of Belgium Stéphane Demol
League Cypriot First Division
2007-08 7th
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Away colours


Ethnikos Achna (Greek: Εθνικός Άχνας) is a Cyprus football club based in the village of Achna. The club was founded in 1968. The club's president is Kikis Philippou. Ethnikos Achnas plays in the Dasaki Stadium, which has a capacity of 4,000 seats. It is currently used mostly for football matches and was built in 1997. It is the only Cypriot team to qualify for the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup.

Contents

[edit] History

The club played in the Cypriot Second Division until 1983 when it was promoted to the Cypriot First Division but immediately relegated. Ethnikos was promoted to the First Division again in 1986 and stayed there for four seasons. Another two years in the Second Division ended with promotion to the First Division in 1992, where Ethnikos Achna have remained since.

The team's best overall national ranking is fourth in the 1994/95, 1997/98 and 2006/07 seasons. For first time in the club's history, the club participated in the Cypriot Cup final in 2002, where they were beaten by Anorthosis 0-1.

[edit] European Competitions

Ethnikos Achna has played four times in the UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998, 2003, 2004 and 2006. The first three times, they were eliminated in the first round. However in 2006, Ethnikos managed to reach the Cup's third round. After eliminating the Albanian team KF Partizani (winning at home 4-2 and losing away in Albania 2-1), they faced the Croatian team NK Osijek and tied both matches, the first leg in Osijek 2-2 and the second 0-0. Ethnikos was the first Cypriot team to advance to the third round of the Intertoto Cup. However, they even topped their achievement through also beating Maccabi Petah Tikva FC (2-0 victory away and 2-3 loss at home), winning that official cup and so they progressed to the UEFA Cup.

After Maccabi Petah Tikva FC Ethnikos eliminated K.S.V. Roeselare (2-1 loss in Belgium and 5-0 victory in Cyprus and so qualified for the first round of the UEFA Cup (which leads to the group stage) where they were eliminated by RC Lens. Ethnikos tied the first leg at home (it was in Neo GSP Stadium, Nicosia) 0-0 and lost 3-1 in France. Because of the success in Intertoto Cup, Ethnikos was awarded by Sports Journalists Union of Cyprus as the Sports Team of the Year of 2006. At the end of the same season, Ethnikos won for third time the fourth position and qualified again in Intertoto Cup.

[edit] Current squad

No. Position Player
2 Flag of Portugal DF Antonio Lopes
3 Flag of Argentina DF Daniel Blanco
4 Flag of Cyprus DF Christos Shailis
5 Flag of Serbia DF Goran Grkinić
6 Flag of Cyprus MF Christos Kotsonis
7 Flag of Serbia MF Zoran Stjepanović
8 Flag of Germany MF Lars Schlichting
10 Flag of Cyprus MF Christos Poyiatzis (Captain)
11 Flag of the Republic of Macedonia FW Riste Naumov
12 Flag of Cyprus GK Stelios Pattihi
13 Flag of Slovenia FW Patrik Ipavec
14 Flag of Cyprus FW Kyriakos Chatziaros
15 Flag of Cyprus DF Demetris Simov
No. Position Player
16 Flag of Cyprus MF Elipidoforos Elia
17 Flag of Cyprus MF Christofis Pashialis
18 Flag of Serbia DF Branislav Jovanović
20 Flag of Serbia MF Ivan Petrović
22 Flag of Cyprus GK Panayiotis Charalambous
23 Flag of Cyprus MF Charalampos Loizou
24 Flag of Cyprus FW Constantinos Georgiades
27 Flag of Cyprus DF Andreas Germanou
28 Flag of Cyprus MF Kyriakos Shimillas
29 Flag of Georgia (country) FW Levan Kebadze
30 Flag of Cyprus MF Panayiotis Engomitis
33 Flag of Hungary GK Szabolcs Kemenes


[edit] Transfers 2008/09

In

No. Position Player
Flag of Ghana MF Daniel Edusei (from Egaleo F.C.)
Flag of Cyprus MF Eleftherios Eleftheriou (from Enosis Neon Paralimni)
Flag of Mali GK Mahamadou Sidibè (from PAS Giannina)

Out

No. Position Player
Flag of Argentina GK Guillermo Álvarez (Released)
Flag of Cyprus DF Marios Elia (Loan return to APOEL FC)
Flag of Brazil MF Guilherme Weisheimer (Released)
Flag of Slovenia DF Aleš Puš (Released)

[edit] Former Players

[edit] Major Honours and Trophies

[edit] External links